A New Lease on Life
by chocoluvr
Summary: On Neville Longbottom's eighteenth birthday he gets a pleasant surprise. He has to learn how to deal with the consequences of his surprise but its worth it when his greatest dream comes true.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

On July 30,1998 Neville Longbottom was at breakfast with his grandmother and the Lovegoods who were staying with them until their house could

be rebuilt. He had already received a birthday present from his friend Luna Lovegood, which was a painting of the garden in the back of

Longbottom Manor. He wasn't too surprised when he received an owl from St. Mungo's since he figured that it was one of their regular updates on

his parents condition whom he was going to visit later on that day, but he was worried when he was summoned to come to the hospital

immediately. He quickly gathered up his Gran and went to the hospital hoping that he wasn't too late to give his final goodbyes to one or both of

his parents. When they finally did get to St. Mungo's they waited impatiently to give their information to the Welcome Witch so

that they can get to the Janus Thickey ward. When they finally got to the Welcome Witch they were directed immediately to the Healer's office

where the two of them were prepared to hear the news that either Frank or Alice had died and they needed to pick up their personal belongings

and to make funeral arrangements. They weren't prepared for the news that they were about to receive.

"Neville, Augusta I have some good news it seems that Frank is tracking with his eyes, where he can follow one of the mediwizards with his eyes.

This means that he could be coming out of his coma."

"That's great, so when can we see him?" Augusta asked,excited by the prospect of having her son being able to interact with her for the first time

in sixteen years.

"In a few minutes, but first I need to let you know that I would recommend transferring him to a muggle hospital since they would have the

capability of being able to determine if there would be any further damage after he wakes up since they have more experience with those things."

"Can't you help him here, since he was put in that condition with a curse and those muggle doctors wouldn't understand how he came to be in a

coma in the first place?" Augusta protested wanting not to separate Frank and Alice for any period of time.

"We can but we don't have the capability to look into his brain that they do, and besides one of our Healers will be coming along too as a

consultant on his case. However there are some doctors who do know about the wizarding world who are either squibs or related to wizards," the

Healer tried to persuade her.

Neville looked hopeful and finally agreed to transfer his father, since magical means couldn't heal him maybe muggle means could. The Healer had

almost forgotten that Neville had taken over as his parent's guardian and power of attorney on his seventeenth birthday last year. He immediately

handed over the papers for Neville to sign and arranged for the transfer right away. Both Neville and his grandmother were to be met at the

entrance to St. Mungo's by one of their Healers to accompany them to the muggle hospital to supervise Frank's treatment. The two of them were

surprised to see Healer Augustus Pye coming out to meet them since he had been reassigned from the Janus Thickey ward four years ago to the

creature bites ward. Augusta wasn't too reassured by the eager look on his face, like he wanted to watch those muggle doctors cut up her son or

something else equally babariac. Though she had to at least go along with Neville's decision and she did agree that since there wasn't too much

that magical means could do for Frank so maybe it was time to explore muggle means of healing for him. She only hoped that the muggles didn't kill

him with their healing means, but she knew that everyone said that both him and Alice were better off dead anyway. When the three of them

arrived at St. Katherine's hospital, since Frank had arrived there earlier, they were informed at the front desk which floor he would be on, though

when they arrived at the floor, Healer Pye was summoned to observe the tests that Frank was going through at the time while Augusta and Neville

were told to wait for the doctor to come out and let them know the results of his tests. The muggle didn't come out for nearly an hour when they

were summoned to his office with Healer Pye following them. When they were gathered in Dr. Tonks's office he immediately pulled out Frank's file.

"It looks like Frank's brain has been healing itself over the past sixteen years though he almost woke up eight years ago and for some strange

reason he was placed in a medically induced coma."

Augusta and Neville looked puzzled at that news about his coma being induced for the past years though they felt that the Healers had a good

reason to keep Frank in a coma. Dr. Tonks noticed how puzzled the two of them and reassured them that there was probably a good reason for

keeping Frank in a comatose state.

The two Longbottoms looked at this muggle doctor with renewed interest and hope since they could bring Frank back to them.

"Right now we are waiting for him to wake up and then we can determine what needs to be done from here, though it would take a few hours for

him to wake up and when he first wakes up since he was in this state for a long time, he probaly won't be vocal and it will seem that there is no

improvement in his condition. He will need to go through intensive therapy in order to relearn how to do everyday tasks and to be able to

communicate with you."

"When can we see him?" Augusta asked eager to see her son.

"Right now and I can have one of our nurses show you which ward he is on," Dr. Tonks informed them as he took them over to the nurse's station

to direct them to show them which room Frank was in.

When the two of them arrived at Frank's ward they were surprised to see Frank hooked up to various muggle things which the nurse assured

them that was normal for someone in his condition and that the tubes had medicine in it that would help him to wake up plus a substance in it that

would help Frank keep hydrated. Both Neville and Augusta decided to wait by his bedside to wait for Frank to wake up, since they could eat lunch

afterwards and besides they wanted to be the first people that Frank saw when he woke up.

"Tomorrow we can bring Alice by to visit with you, I'm sure that we can check her out to visit with you in hospital. Hopefully by then you'll be awake

and she can be reassured that you are doing fine. You do know that today is Neville's birthday and it would be the best birthday present for him if

you did wake up today, and not tomorrow," Augusta told her son while Neville thought it strange that she was talking to him like he could hear

her, though they had been told that Frank could still hear them in his condition.

A few hours later when Frank did wake up he just opened up his eyes and stared at the wall since he was unable to move his head. Augusta went

to get the nurse while Neville wondered if his father would be able to speak with them soon and that this was just the beginning to him "waking

up". Neville's hopes were dashed when the nurse came over to his bed, satisfied that his father had woke up and went to get the Muggle Doctor.

When the doctor examined his father, Neville was reassured that Frank would get better but that he would need to relearn how to do everything

since he hadn't used those normal everyday skills at all for the past sixteen years. Neville was upset by this and he had to leave wondering what

good the muggle hospital did for his dad since he didn't seem to be any better. Neville wondered what good it would do for his mother to see his

dad like this other than to reassure her that Frank didn't die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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As soon as Neville left the muggle hospital he debated about going home, but he knew that his Gran would look for him there and he didn't feel like facing her right now. He knew that he was warned about his father's condition when he woke up but he wasn't prepared for it. Right now he doubted that his father would be able to live in wizarding society again and now he was made worse. He just decided to walk up the street in order to walk off his disappointment and knowing that his Gran would want him to go back to spend more time with his father, but he didn't feel ready yet. He thought that when his dad woke up that he would be like other dads spending time with him and going off to work, not like he is now no matter that he was warned by the muggle doctor that his father would be like this when he woke up and that it would take some work and time for him to return to normal. He couldn't stand to leave the hospital grounds though which is where his Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid found him when they arrived to see their nephew.

"What are you doing here? I thought that you would want to be inside to see your father instead of hiding out here. What is he doing in a place like this anyway your Gran didn't give any details only that your dad was moved here?"

"He was moved here because he was coming out of his coma and he just woke up but its different than what I thought it would be," Neville reluctantly admitted to his great uncle.

Algie thought about what he had told him for a few minutes before replying, "Did the muggle doctor tell you that he would improve with time. Sometimes people aren't instantly healed and it is that way with magical healing as well. It was almost two months before your grandmother could even bring you home after the attack, because it took you that long to recover from your injuries even using magical means and it took sixteen years for your dad to come out of a coma, where he hadn't used his muscles in so long. It may take some time for him to make a full recovery but both him and your grandmother are going to need your support right now since it must be hard on your mum to be separated from your dad for the first time in sixteen years."

Neville then reluctantly agreed to go back into the hospital so that he could spend more time with his father and to find out if his condition was going to be permanent. He did wonder if his dad was going to ever come home with them again or if he was going to go back to St. Mungo's. He didn't think about how his mum would take being separated from his dad for the first time in sixteen years, but they did plan on signing his mum out of St. Mungo's for a couple of hours so that she could see his dad in the muggle hospital to reassure her that Frank didn't die. When he went back inside he wasn't surprised to see his Gran with his father whose condition hadn't changed but he seemed to be a little more alert than he was previously, he was reassured though by his grandmother that his father would begin both cognitive and physical therapy tomorrow in order to help him to be able to be closer to normal but they could bring Alice by to see him early in the morning before he goes to therapy. The early morning would be better for Alice since the sooner she can see her husband the better, since it is too late for her to see her husband today. Augusta noticed her brother walk into the ward with her grandson and gave an excited look. "Frank has finally woken up and now these doctors are telling me that they are going to try to get him to be able to live a normal life as possible. At last he can come home to live with us, and I'm sure that Neville would be excited too once he gets back to normal."

"Its great that Frank has woke up, but how long will it be before he returns to normal and can live with us? It can take a long time for that to happen if it does," her brother reminded his sister trying to get her to see the reality of the situation.

"The doctor told me that it could take a while for him to return to normal and he may not fully return to normal, but at least I can have my little boy live with us again," Augusta reluctantly admitted to her brother and grandson.

Neville groaned at his Gran's optimism, doubting that his father would even be able to live a normal life again that he would spend the rest of his life in St. Mungo's the victim of a failed muggle medical experiment. Though Neville wanted his dad to get better than everything, he even fantasied that one day that his dad would get better and would be able to come home with them so that they can live like a normal family instead of living with his overbearing grandmother though since his fifth year she had gotten better. He had already given up that he would ever get to know his parents again, even after his dad waking up from his coma. A few minutes later, another person came into the ward carrying what appeared to be a camera taking pictures of Frank and the rest of the Longbottom family. As soon as Augusta realized what was going on she immediately through the reporter out in order to respect her son's privacy. After Augusta had thrown the reporter out, she immediately went to the nurse's station to only allow authorized personal in her son's ward. She had done this for her family the last time that reporters wanted to nose around her family who were in hospital. She couldn't believe the audacity that some of them would go thorough in order to get a story, at least she hadn't seen Rita Skeeter yet since she was used ruthless means to get her story. She knew that the wizarding papers would print the news of Frank waking up but she didn't want to have any pictures shown of him or any discord between her family reported since she knew of Neville's disappointment that his father didn't immediately start talking to him when he woke up. Augusta though was hopeful that she would be able to have her son be able to celebrate Christmas with his family for the first time in sixteen years this year. She even planned on bringing the family photo albums to show Frank tomorrow after she let the rest of his relatives know about his waking up and to give him a day to rest.

Early the next morning both Augusta and Neville went to St. Mungo's to sign out Alice for a couple of hours so that she can see Frank and reassure her that Frank is still alive and that he didn't die. Before they were ready to leave St. Mungo's with Alice and take her by the muggle hospital to see Frank, Augusta instructed Neville to keep an eye out for his mother to make sure that she didn't get harmed or upset while in an unfamiliar environment, though she knew that seeing Frank would reassure her. When the three of them arrived they went straight to the ward where Frank was hoping that they would be able to see him before he was taken to therapy. Alice immediately recognized him when she entered the ward wanting to touch him to make sure that he was really fine. Neville thought that it would be fine to leave them alone for a few minutes to give them some privacy so he joined his grandmother out in the hall, thinking that his mum wouldn't run off anytime soon. The two of them were shocked when they had returned to Frank's ward to find out that Alice wasn't there and she wasn't out in the hall either. The two of them searched the entire floor for her, with Augusta looking disappointed in her grandson since he was supposed to be watching his mum.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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When Alice had entered the ward that Frank was staying in the muggle hospital, she immediately recognized him and went over to his bed. She recognized that his eyes were open but that he wasn't able to speak with her. When she was reassured that he was alive and seeing that the two people that she came with were nowhere close by she decided to explore the hospital on her own, she wondered if she was going to be sent here to live as well. It seemed that she would have more freedom here than she had at St. Mungo's because no one tried to get her to go back to the ward once she had left the door, though the surroundings were unfamiliar to her. She was almost terrified to go outside, since she hadn't been outside in over sixteen years, this trip was the first time that she had been outside of St. Mungo's in the same time frame. She surprisingly felt at ease in this new place, since this was probably going to be her new home from now on. She had spent the past sixteen years in a hospital and this place was probably going to be no different than her last home. She knew that she had a real home once with people who loved her, but she couldn't remember it, the only home that she knew was in the wizarding hospital. She knew that she must of had a life before she had moved there, but she couldn't remember it though she did try very hard. She knew that Frank was her best friend since they had entered the hospital together and the Healers had placed their beds next to each other.

Both Neville and Augusta searched the hospital frantically for Alice, hoping that she didn't leave the hospital, since she had never been outside on her own before in sixteen years, they even had the hospital security search for her. She was found about thirty minutes later, in the emergency room getting checked out since she was mistaken for a patient there. Both Augusta and Neville were relieved to find her safe and sound, realizing that she thought that this muggle hospital was going to be her new home, since Frank was there now. A few minutes later, Dr. Tonks came into the emergency room for a consultation when he saw Augusta and Neville there, he realized that his patient was Frank's wife. He went over to them to see if they wanted to run tests on Alice as well to see if he could restore her facilities and her memory through surgery.

"Do you want me to run tests on her too in order to see if her facilities and memory can be restored?" Dr. Tonks asked Augusta.

Neville readily agreed since he wanted to take this chance to have his mother back to him as well.

"You won't operate on her until you share the results with us and we can make a decision about this?" Augusta asked worriedly.

"I won't once the results of the tests come back in I will share the test results with you and you can make an informed decision from there," Dr. Tonks reassured them.

Neville was excited about the prospect of having both of his parents being able to recognize him eventually while his grandmother was reserved at the prospect of both her son and daughter in law getting better having already having her hopes dashed about their recovery too many times in the past. Though Augusta didn't see any harm in running the tests on Alice since the muggle doctor probably wouldn't be able to get Alice back to normal anyway and it might do Neville some good to run to tests to let him know that there is nothing else that can be done for his mother. Besides she would like Frank to know that everything that been done for Alice once he gets better and can live out in wizarding society and didn't want him to try to get Alice checked out for possible muggle solutions to the wizarding curse that had got her the way that she was. She only hoped that the muggles wouldn't want to open up Alice's head which she thought was barbaric and would be worse than what those Death Eaters had done to her. Neville only wanted to know for sure if there was anything that could be done to help his mother lead a normal life, like his father would within a few months and his mother would love being back in a hospital room with her husband since that was normal for her. When the authorization papers were signed to let the muggle doctors run tests on Alice the two of them went to the administration office where Neville signed the admittance papers for Alice in order to admit her to the hospital. They were lucky that they were able to get Alice in the hospital bed next to her husband, of course Neville assisted with that of course. As soon as she was in her room, she was immediately ordered to change into a hospital gown, which Augusta assisted her with since they did look different than the gowns of St. Mungo's. When Alice was dressed a nurse came in to take her to where the muggles would look inside her brain to see if it could be repaired, which Neville was hopeful about since he needed to have the hope that he had lost this past year at school. Both Augusta and Neville were both nervous about the test results since this was the last chance that they had to get Alice back since all magical methods had been exhausted for her according to the Healers at St. Mungo's. Besides it would be ironic if muggle medical means could be used to successfully treat Frank and Alice after all magical means were exhausted, since most of the wizarding society looked at muggle medicine as inferior. Neville didn't care which method was used in getting his mother back as long as she came back and could recognize him he would be very happy though both him and his Gran were happy about having his father back, though he would need more work before he could even live in wizarding society and hold down a job, not necessarily as an Auror depending on how much of his physical ability the therapists can get back but Neville didn't care about all of that he only wanted to have his parents back. Both Neville and Augusta were nervous about the test results though Neville was excited about the possible results. Augusta only hoped that Neville wasn't going to be too disappointed if there was nothing that the muggles could do for Alice, like he was when Frank first woke up. A little over an hour later, Dr. Tonks came out with some surprising news for the two of them about Alice.

"I can operate on her in order to restore her memory and faculties, though the healing time and how much can be regained will depend on how she responds to the operation and to any follow up therapy. However there is a risk that she could die, but that risk is always there with any operation and she will not regain everything back immediately there is a healing time involved. She will also be in pain after the operation, but she will be given medication to manage the pain."

Augusta looked uneasy at the possibility that her daughter in law will be cut open after all of the torture that she had gone through almost sixteen years ago. She didn't care that this was the only possible way at this time that Alice could even have a normal life again, it sounded barbaric to her, cutting her up in order to fix whatever was wrong in her head. She knew now that it was up to her grandson to make the decision since he became the head of the family when he came of age and he just recently came of age in the muggle world so he can give his permission for this barbaric procedure. Neville looked thrilled that there was hope for his mother after all, no matter what the method was to get her back. Augusta knew that her grandson would give his permission for the muggle Healer to cut open Alice in the chance that she could live a normal life. Augusta still thought that it was barbaric no matter that it was probably her son's only chance to have his wife back and they can recuperate together if Alice was operated on soon. Augusta paid attention to the doctor's next words.

"Of course before I can operate on Alice I will need to have you to authorize the procedure and let you know about the risks that are involved."

"What risks are involved in something like this, could she die?" Augusta asked sounding concerned.

"Yes, there is always a risk with every operation that the patient could die, but you also need to weigh the potential benefits with such an operation when you make such a decision," Dr. Tonks informed them.

Neville thought about the potential benefits of the operation and the life that his mother lived now in St. Mungo's which would get worse with his father gone and recuperating from being in a sixteen year coma. He went ahead and agreed to the operation since it would give his mum a chance at a better life and he wanted to be able to honestly tell his father that everything had been done for Alice. He decided that he would sign the papers given his permission to operate on his mum no matter what anyone else thought, even his Gran. He wanted to give his mother the best chance that he could in order to give her as close as a normal life as possible.

"I'll agree to the operation, since the life that she's living now isn't any kind of life and everybody thinks that she's better off dead than in the condition that she's in," Neville informed the doctor who immediately gave him the paperwork to sign since he already knew that Neville was his parents guardian who had control over their medical care. As soon as Neville had agreed to sign the papers agreeing to his mum's muggle operation his grandmother looked mad that he would even think about such a barbaric thing such as cutting his own mum open.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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Neville asked the doctor if he could see his mum after he had signed the permission form for the surgery and found out that it would be scheduled in two days since it would take that long to arrange to have a wizarding healer to observe the procedure and hopefully his Gran would see his reason for doing this that he agreed to the surgery out of love for his mum so that she could have a chance for a normal life with her family that she was robbed of when he was younger. He couldn't even remember what his life with his parents was like before he had to live with his Gran, since she didn't like to talk about it too much only how great his parents were and that his dad had kept up the family tradition of becoming an Auror. He did know that he had an identical twin brother named Francis who died when their family was attacked seventeen years ago and that he would of died himself if he wasn't found by his Gran in time. He doubted that his Gran would even allow anyone to cut open his head in order to fix what was wrong in there even if it did bring him back to her, since she was unreasonable about the situation, it isn't like he wanted to kill his mother he agreed to the operation so that she could have a chance at a better life. He wished his Gran would see things his way instead of thinking that he wanted to kill his own mum, though he did have to admit that he was younger that he would sometimes fantasize about poisoning his parents so that they would be free from the madness that gripped their minds. Now that he had hope that both of parents can live a normal life he didn't have those dreams anymore. One good thing that came out of having a Healer who understood both muggle and magical methods is that it gave Neville hope for once in his life, even though he didn't know what muggle treatment would do for his mother only his father. He only regretted that he couldn't live with his parents when he was younger though he did try to live with them when he was younger to his Gran's dismay. He remembered the times that his grandmother had to go to St. Mungo's in order to drag him home because he wanted to be like other kids who lived with their parents and only visited with their grandparents. Even though he was old enough to be living on his own, he was going to have his parents live with him and his Gran when they are well enough to go home. He couldn't wait for them to live with him just like the way other kids had their parents live with them if they were alive. Neville knew that he had to go by St. Mungo's to let them know that his mother wasn't returning to them that evening and in order to arrange for a Healer to be there during his mum's operation. His grandmother wanted to spend more time with his parents, so he went on to St. Mungo's without her. When he appeared there without his mother in tow, the Healer in charge of the Janus Thickey ward wanted to know what had happened to Alice and he wasn't too surprised when Neville had told them that she was going to stay in the muggle hospital for treatment since their methods didn't work.

"What kind of treatment are the muggles going to give her that we can't do here?" the Healer asked Neville sounding interested and hoping that it wasn't too evasive.

"They are going to going to perform brain surgery," Neville asked him while the Healer looked concerned that Alice was going to be harmed by muggles and knowing that he had to assign a Healer to observe the muggle treatment.

He knew who would volunteer for the job in a heartbeat, though he would need to understand that he would not be able to perform brain surgery on any of the patients at St. Mungo's. Healer Pye was very excited when he returned from the muggle hospital the last time, though he had a boring job of waiting for Frank Longbottom to wake up this time though the assignment will be more extensive in observing a muggle operation. At least he did have an open mind to new ideas, even as far back as eight years ago that he could remember the Yankees had magical Healers who were also schooled in muggle medical methods, even surgery. Healer Smith, knew that someone had to be there and observe the muggle operation, since due to Ministry regulations that whenever a muggle doctor treated a wizard that a wizarding Healer had to be there to observe just in case they needed to provide advice or memory charms on the muggle medical staff. To his knowledge there had been no other wizarding families who sought after muggle treatment until now, but the Longbottom case was a different story though since Frank and Alice hadn't been able to live with their family for over sixteen years and now they did have a chance to be reunited with their family and to get to know their son, Neville. He decided to call Healer Pyre back into his office to tell him the good news that he was going back to the muggle hospital to serve and to warn him that he can't try out any of the muggle methods into this hospital since he wasn't trained in it and the Ministry wouldn't like for muggle methods to be used with wizarding patients. He knew that the Ministry would relax their rules for cases that had exhausted all wizarding means of treatment but would require a trained Healer to oversee the muggle treatment. He immediately called Healer Pye to his office to deliver the news about his new assignment.

* * *

Healer Pye entered Healer Smith's office wondering what he could want with him, he even restrained himself and kept from trying any of the muggle methods that he had picked up while in the muggle hospital the last time, unless he was needed to observe another muggle treatment which brought a smile to his face. Healer Smith signaled to Augutus to sit down across from him looking concerned.

"I need someone to return to the muggle hospital where Frank Longbottom is, since Alice was just admitted to the same hospital to under go muggle surgery. You are only to observe and perform memory modification charms if necessary since you are not trained in muggle medicine you are not to assist in the surgery in any way. Also when you come back here, you are not to perform surgery on the patients here since you are not trained."

Augustus Pye looked like he had just received both a Christmas and birthday present at the same time since he was going to observe a real muggle operation just like on the muggle tele though he wouldn't be allowed to perform surgery here at St. Mungo's but at least it will still be cool to watch. Maybe he can convince some of the other patients and their families at St. Mungo's to pursue muggle treatment then he will get to go to the muggle hospital more often. He remembered an article that was written eight years ago where a Yankee neurologist who happened to be a witch as well who was interviewed about combing muggle treatment with wizarding treatment to bring forth a well rounded treatment plan. It was too bad that the writer of that article's wife died shortly after the article came out. Though he did hear whispers that some wealthy wizard paid to have the journalist's wife killed in order to shut him up which they were successful for a while since he started to write outrageous stories. He knew that something was up when four years ago he was reassigned from the Janus Thickey ward to the creature bite ward four years ago, when he wanted to try to use muggle therapy on the patients there. Of course he did try to use muggle methods when he could, he even got in trouble when he tried it on one of his patients though he was very willing to try it and was excited about it but his wife wasn't too happy with him about that little stunt. He only hoped that he would get sent back to the Janus Thickey ward where he could try some of the methods that he had read about on the patients there of course he wasn't so lucky to get back to the rejects of the wizarding world. Now, within the past five days he will get to go visit a muggle hospital to observe their methods of treatment twice which would be the best thing that has happened to him during his career as a Healer. Maybe now those on the board at St. Mungo's will start to take his suggestions to include muggle treatment in a patient's treatment plan seriously instead of seeing his fascination for muggle things a cute little hobby. Of course no one would fault the Longbottoms for seeking out muggle treatment since Frank and Alice were that way ever since Neville was a young toddler. He only hoped that more wizards would seek out muggle treatment so that he can spend more time in a muggle hospital.

* * *

After leaving St. Mungo's Neville felt hopeful but he was upset that his Gran didn't understand that he wanted to take this chance to have his mum back even though he would probaly get his dad back within the next few months after going to a rehabilitation center in the Swiss Alps since they had the only rehabilitation center that mixed both muggle and magical means. His Gran thinks that their methods are barbaric but he wants to be able to look his father in the eye and tell him that everything that could possibly be done for his mum was done for her instead of keeping the fact from him that there was something that could have been done for her. Of course if it was his dad his Gran would agree to the surgery in order to get her perfect son back. It wasn't like she was going to be awake when they opened up her head so she wouldn't feel it and they will give her potions for the pain. He thought that his Gran was being unreasonable thinking that wizarding healing methods were far superior to muggle ones, though he didn't care which method was used to bring his parents back besides his Gran thought that he didn't hear the talk that his parents would be better off dead than live the fate that they were given.

He went immediately to visit his twin's grave site in order to talk with him though he couldn't talk back to him but he knew that he would agree with him if he had lived. He also had to let Ginny know that he couldn't come to her birthday dinner since he had planned to spend the day with his mum and finding out when his father would be well enough to move to a rehabilitation center. He found the headstone that he was looking for and told his brother about all that had happened within the past few days with their parents.

"I know that I've told you that sometimes that I couldn't wait for mum and dad to join you since they would be better off in heaven rather than living cooped up at St. Mungo's where they spend their days in the hospital ward. Gran doesn't know but ever since I was little I've heard the whispers that they would be better off dead than living out the rest of their lives at St. Mungo's waiting to die. Now both of them have a chance to be able to lead normal lives again which is what I've always wanted for them and I will be able to have our parents with us, though its selfish of me to want both of them while you have none of them with you, though you do have granddad and our other grandparents with you. Gran of course is mad that I'm not sticking with the wizarding ways of doing things that haven't worked so far, I'm so excited that I can't wait until tomorrow when I'm getting my mum back and dad is working on being able to live a normal life again as well. I don't think that I'm going back to school this year to repeat my last year since I want to go with Gran to Switzerland where they are going to relearn how to live in wizarding society away from prying eyes. I only wish that you had lived so that we could have fought together in the last war."

Neville fought back tears as he left Francis's grave in the cemetary and headed back to the muggle hospital in order to spend more time with his mum and dad no matter if his Gran wanted him there or not since she felt that he had just signed his mum's death order.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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After Neville left the hospital, Augusta decided that she was going to stay and spend the rest of the visiting hours visiting Alice and hoping to see what progress Frank had made today. She couldn't believe that her grandson would agree to such a barbaric treatment for Alice, such as cutting her open to try to get her to be normal. She thought the treatment would kill her and she would experience worse pain than what she did during her torture of course the muggle Healer reassured her that Alice wouldn't feel anything since she would be asleep but Augusta had a hard time believing that. Though after she had a chance to let the news of Alice's impending operation sink in she could understand how desperate Neville was to get both of his parents back especially since he would be getting his father back soon. Augusta only hoped that if Alice did die tomorrow that she wouldn't feel any pain though she would miss her very much and she knew that her Frank would miss her too. Augusta wanted to keep things the way that they were without risking Alice's life and she knew that she would be safe at St. Mungo's instead of here in this muggle hospital where they want to cut her up. She wasn't too surprised when she saw her brother coming into Alice's ward wanting to find out why Alice was here too.

"Your great nephew didn't think that it was enough to have Frank he wanted to have Alice too. Which wouldn't be too bad but they want to cut her up tomorrow in order to try to bring her back."

Algie looked at his sister in disbelief wondering if she would understand how desperate Neville would be to have both of his parents back even looking to muggle medicine for help. He remembered all of his letters to Father Christmas every year from when he could write until he stopped believing in him where the one thing that he always wanted was for new minds for his parents so that they could come and live with him. Though Algie knew that his sister couldn't believe that he would risk Alice's life in order to get his wish to come true but he also knew of the prejudices against anything muggle in the British wizarding world. He knew that Augusta wouldn't do anything intentional to harm Alice or to keep from being able to bring her back, but he also knew that Frank would agree to the surgery once he got his mind back. He only wished that Augusta would make up with Neville since he didn't agree with her that he had signed his mother's death order. He also knew that Augusta had pursued every type of wizarding treatment for Frank and Alice when they were first injured but she had been told over and over again by wizarding Healers that there was no hope for them. Now his great nephew was willing to stand up to his Gran and seek muggle help for them which made Algie amazed that he might be able to really talk to Alice in a few months, since he was already looking forward to having Frank back with them. Algie could only hope that Alice would be able to survive the muggle treatment, since he knew that his sister would never be able to forgive Neville if Alice died as a result of this muggle treatment, but that the risk would be worth it since she didn't have much of a life in St. Mungo's. He had faith that his sister would come to accept Neville's decision, especially if she got both her son and daughter in law back where they could live on their own and lead normal lives. He knew that even with the surgery that the recovery time for Alice would be a long one and no one knew if she would remember the past sixteen years. Besides now Frank had to work hard to even live a normal life which disappointed him as well as it did Neville. He only hoped that Augusta could forgive her grandson for what he felt that he had to do for his mom. He didn't know what he would do if Augusta and Neville never spoke again. Though eight years ago a reporter had tried to write a piece exposing the corruption at St. Mungo's and the horrible treatment that patients like Frank and Alice had endured though neither him nor his sister could see it, but he had interviewed a Yankee neurologist who was also a witch about the Yankee treatment plans that they had for patients like Frank and Alice. Too bad that he had lost his wife and almost lost his nine year old girl in a horrible accident and he decided to leave investigative journalism. Algie though was pleased and knew that his sister was pleased when he decided to give up the trash that he had been writing these past few years in order to tell the truth about the war and supporting the Potter kid. He knew that he would probaly be the only reporter allowed to visit with the family while both Alice and Frank were in the muggle hospital since his daughter was friends with Neville and that he did try to help them eight years ago. He saw Neville when he returned to the hospital with a determined look on his face to visit with both of his parents and to see what progress his father was making not caring what his Gran thought. He entered the room just as his dad came back from physical therapy where he was showing his mother that he could sit up without any support, that he couldn't even do that a few days ago. Augusta looked just as proud of her son as if he had fought Voldemort again, which she had told her grandson about though he did know that was the reason that his family was singled out by his followers during one of the times that she was mad at him. He was proud of the progress that he was making even though it was slow and he wanted his mother to be able to live a normal life again as well. He knew that if his mother could live a normal life as well as a result of the muggle surgery that his grandmother and father would be grateful for such a gift. He did know that most of the wizarding world including his grandmother's friends thought that his parents were better off dead instead of living at St. Mungo's. He had even looked at brochures from different magical rehabilitation centers with the best one being in Switzerland but he didn't want to have to travel all of the way to America or even to Canada in order to be with them for their treatment. Healer Pye had given him the brochures from the different facilities after his father had woken up from his coma, but if his mother lived then she would be able to go to. His Gran can be intimidating at times, but when it came to his parent's well being he was willing to stand up to her, even if it meant going with his parents to Switzerland instead of to the facility in Savannah, Georgia where his grandmother had distant cousins that lived there. He knew that he needed to tell his other friends about his mum's surgery the next day in case they wanted to support him, hopefully they wouldn't be like his Gran and think that he had planned on killing his mother though with Harry and Hermione growing up with muggles they would understand that he wanted to help his mum not kill her. He had to meet with the surgeon about when would be the last time that he can see his mother tomorrow before he takes her off to operate on her and about how long the operation will take. His Gran didn't notice him when he walked into the ward, but when he walked over to his dad's bed, he congratulated his dad on the progress that he was making and his grandmother didn't even acknowledge his presence in the ward. Now it seemed that his grandmother was given him the silent treatment since she strongly disagreed with what he did, though hopefully she didn't tell his mother that he had planned on killing her with muggle medicine. He can ignore his Gran as well as he spent time with his mum telling her about how the muggle doctor was going to make her feel better, where she would be able to come home with them instead of staying at the hospital. He did mention that his dad was going to come home and live them as well, and this was reality and not just a little boy's fantasy that he had when he was younger. His mother seemed to appreciate the time that he was spending with her and seemed to like being back in the same hospital ward with her husband again, since she seemed to be down when he and his Gran went by St. Mungo's to pick her up earlier that day. She did seem to perk up though when she saw Frank even if it was in a strange setting. Neville seemed to think that he was doing the right thing for his mother even if every one else disagreed since she would be able to be with his father even when he had to be moved to a different facility for a few weeks. Now he was giving both of his parents the type of life they might have had if they hadn't been injured in the first place. He only wished that his grandmother would have tried muggle treatment earlier since he could have had a normal childhood instead of worrying that everyone would find out about his secret. Even though when some of his friends discovered his secret none of them treated him differently because his parents didn't even know who he was. He hated the pitying look that he had received from his Gran's friends whenever they would come over. Though now if his mother died from the muggle treatment those same friends would look at him as if he had killed his own mother instead of trying to help her to live as normal of a life as possible. When his Gran went over to visit his father, he visited with his mother trying to explain a little bit of why she was in hospital and that the doctors here will try to rewire her brain so that she can come and live with her little boy. Neville never knew if she even knew that she had children or that one of them had died tragically when they were fifteen months old. He couldn't wait to see if the muggle doctor could help his mother to live a normal life even if they were kicked out of the wizarding community for seeking help outside of their community. He would give up his powers in a heartbeat if it meant getting his parents back.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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Neville wound up spending the night at the Leaky Cauldron since he couldn't stand to be with his Gran right now since she still believed that he had planned on killing his mum. He was too excited to eat the next morning since he was nervous about the outcome of his mum's surgery. He was surprised to find his Gran at the muggle hospital early the next morning since she was very adamant against his mum's surgery yesterday.

Noticing her grandson's surprised look she told him, "I'm here for your mother since you insist on doing this thing."

Neville should have known that his Gran would want to be with his mother in what she believed to be her final hours he only hoped that she would at least be civil to him in front of the muggle healers. One of the muggle nurses came in to take both of them to visit with his mother, who looked surprisingly calm when the two of them entered the room not aware that she was going to have her head opened up in a couple of hours. Neville was surprised though when the nurse invited him to cut off all of his mum's hair in preparation for the operation. He cut his mum's hair with the scissors that the nurse had given him, but let one of the nurse's use the muggle cutter that he was too scared that it would hurt his mum if he operated that thing. The nurse seemed to understand his nervousness though she probaly didn't understand the real reason for his nervousness since he wasn't too used to muggle healing methods. His grandmother wanted to be in the same room, but she turned away when he had started to cut his mother's hair, not wanting to see her daughter in law's beautiful hair cut off. Though she couldn't stand to leave her since this might be the last time that she would see her alive or the muggle method could work and her grandson could get both his mother and father back. Frank was still in his bed in the ward, since everyone had guessed that he would want to be near his wife until she was sent to surgery. He did seem to be interested in what Neville was doing, though he did seem to trust that he wouldn't harm his wife. When Neville was done, his mum's hair was as short as it was when she was younger. The nurse stepped in and finished shaving his mum's hair off to prepare her for the upcoming surgery, when she was finished there was no hair left on her head though he was reassured by the fact that it would grow back and this sacrifice would be worth it if he could get his mum back. Augusta watched this with curiosity wondering why Neville would even agree to something like this, but she wanted to be with her daughter in law in what she considered to be the last few hours of her life. When Alice was sent away for the surgery Neville and Augusta said their goodbyes, with Neville hopeful that when she came back that she would be on the right track in order to get her back. Frank just watched her go away where it was hard to tell if he remembered that she was his wife or if he needed to work in order to remember such things. After Alice had left, an orderly came in to take Frank to his physical therapy session while Neville and Augusta went into the surgical waiting area, waiting for news of Alice. Augusta had pulled out a knitting project that she was working on, while Neville pulled out a book to read in order to pass the time. Neville had a hard time concentrating since he was worried about how his mum was doing and how everything would turn out. He took to looking around at the hospital surroundings, curious about how muggles seemed to manage without magic, though the wizarding Healers had given him no hope about his parents and this muggle Healer could. Once his parents had left for their various treatments he wanted to stay at the hospital but he didn't know what to do, though he didn't have anything to occupy the time while waiting. He was afraid that he might miss out on some important news if he left even for a little bit, since his Gran might not even let him know if anything had happened to his mum. Of course she might let him know only to blame him for anything that could happen to her. There was some sort of box in the waiting room though with moving pictures that seemed to tell a story similar to a picture show. His grandfather had taken him to a muggle picture show once before he had died. He was fascinated how the moving pictures had told a story, besides watching the pictures on the screen it would be a good way to occupy his mind while waiting on his mum. He had heard a little bit about these boxes from those who had grown up in muggle homes since they had missed it while they were hiding out in the Room of Requirement while they were hiding out and waiting for the halls to be safe in order to go back into their dorm. He dozed off a few hours later and didn't wake up until an hour later when Luna had arrived with her father. He wondered how she knew about what was going on today until he realized that his Gran must have told them since they were still staying with them in the family home.

"I'm sure that your wife would have been happy to see this day if she had lived, since she was such a proponent of searching outside our community for help," Augusta told Xeno.

Xeno didn't know how to answer her since his late wife had encouraged him to help people like Augusta's family by writing about other forms of treatment other than that St. Mungo's had offered them, which was basically medicate them and keep them on a hospital ward for the rest of their lives.

He had even interviewed a witch who was a muggle neurologist though she was a Yank. His wife was killed tragically a couple of weeks after that article ran in _The Quibbler _which was ruled to be an accident but Augusta had her suspicions about that. She guessed that Xeno had wondered about the "accident" that had claimed his wife's life since he had stopped writing political pieces after that, though recently she probably assumed that his daughter had pressured him to run more political pieces. Neville though didn't know all of that but he was glad to see one of his friends there to support him he wondered if he should let his other friends know about this. He doubted though that his friends other than Hermione and Harry would know what to expect from a muggle hospital. He chuckled a little to himself at the thought that Ron would be impatient at how long muggle treatment would take, being spoiled with the instant results from wizarding medicine. Luna did know that her dad did stop writing political pieces after her mum's death though she thought that the reason was to enable her dad to spend more time with her. She did catch him up on the news from the wizarding world in the past few days and how she was glad that she was back home, though she did plan on going back to Hogwarts in a few weeks. Neville didn't want to let Luna know that he had changed his mind about going into the Auror program in the fall since he wanted to spend time with his parents while they were recovering. He didn't even ask if it would be possible for him to start the program the following year due to a family situation. He wanted to be with his parents for every step of their recovery and since they need to go to a Swiss clinic in order to receive the services that they would need he planned on going to Switzerland with them as well as he thought that his grandmother did. He know wanted to enjoy the time that he had with his parents even though he wouldn't be able to spend all of the time with them since they also had to work on their recovery, but he was excited to be able to spend the time with them after not being able to live with them for most of his life. He was lucky that Luna had found out about his mum's surgery and to come by with her father for support though his grandmother thought that Xeno was just eager to see a happy ending from a story that he had written years ago. Xeno had wanted to write up about Alice and Frank's treatment in order to encourage others in the wizarding world to seek muggle treatment for cases that couldn't be treated with magical means. He only hoped that Augusta would let him run the story since he had tried to help them earlier and his daughter was friends with their son. Neville was happy to see one of his friends to come and support them plus Luna kept him entertained with different stories of the adventures that she had went on with her father even though he had heard some of her stories this past year. At least now her stories helped him to keep his mind off his mum for the time being though he was still nervous about the outcome of the operation. He didn't even notice when it was lunchtime until his grandmother came into the waiting room with sandwiches that she had brought in the tea room of the hospital. Around five PM that afternoon, the surgeon had entered the waiting room and spoke to Augusta and Neville who had joined his Gran for the news as soon as he had seen the surgeon come in to speak with them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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The surgeon looked at Augusta and Neville who looked worried that something had gone wrong and they had to explain to Frank that his wife had died.

"Alice is out of surgery now and she is in the recovery room but she has pulled through the surgery nicely. You can visit her now before she gets moved back into the ward." Dr. Tonks had told the two of them.

Both Neville and Augusta looked relieved and in their concern about Alice had forgotten that the Lovegoods were there with them.

"I'm sure that you must be relieved that your mother lived through such a procedure."Luna told her friend.

Xeno was thinking of the story that he would write about this experience when he let Augusta and Neville visit Alice first by themselves since they would probably want to be alone with her when she had woken up. Luna was glad for her friend that his mum had made it through her procedure fine though she also recognized the need for the family to go into to see Neville's mum before any friends visited her.

When Neville and Augusta had entered into the recovery room they were surprised to see how small Alice looked and her head bandaged up. She was still asleep when they entered into the room but they went straight to her bed when they arrived, waiting for her to wake up. An orderly had wheeled Frank into the room from his physical therapy session so that he could see that his wife was fine and not panic when he had seen that her bed was empty. When Alice did finally open her eyes which seemed like a long time to both Neville and Augusta she was still sleepy from the after effects of the medication. When she had returned to her regular room Augusta tried to feed her some broth that was brought in by one of the hospital workers before letting Alice go back to sleep. She didn't see any changes in her daughter in law but at least she was still alive and she was told that her recovery time from such a procedure could take a while. When Frank had returned to the ward, he immediately went to sleep for his nap before dinnertime. With the two of them asleep both Neville and Augusta went home assured that both Frank and Alice would be fine for the rest of the evening they went home. Neville first went by the Leaky Cauldron to pick up the few items that he had brought with him when he had spent the night there. When the two of them arrived home they both went into their separate rooms not wanting to discuss what had happened that day. Even though the operation went well so far Augusta didn't want to make a judgment about the outcome until Alice could carry a conversation with her and Neville.

As soon as Alice had woken up she looked around her strange setting and wondered where she was though when she saw Frank and Augusta she knew that she must be in hospital even though she was unable to speak to them at this time. She wondered if Augusta would bring her babies to visit her while in hospital even though they technically weren't allowed. There was a strange young man with them though he did look familiar but she couldn't place him right now, besides she wanted to go back to sleep. Too bad mom wanted to keep on feeding her not letting her go back to sleep right away. The young man that was with her seemed familiar somehow to her but she didn't recognize him, though he did remind her of her babies. Maybe he was some cousin who was helping to take care of Augusta and her babies while both her and Frank were in hospital. She thought that she had met all of Frank's relatives when they had gotten married but maybe there was one that she hadn't met. She was relieved when she was allowed to go back to sleep and she didn't have to try and figure out who everyone was. She would either figure it out later or Augusta would fill her in on who was who when she had woken up. She went back to sleep letting the medication take over where she didn't have to try to figure out who was who and if she would be moved back to the wizarding hospital later on. She had slept until early the next morning when she had discovered that she was still in the muggle hospital though Augusta would probably have her moved today. In fact she would probably wake up at St. Mungo's with Frank closeby to her since she could see that he was hurt as well.

When Augusta and Neville had returned home they were surprised to see that both Xeno and Luna had prepared dinner for them since she hadn't seen Xeno cook since he had moved into their home though Luna probably put him up to it since she was a nice girl who would look out for her friends. She was uneasy though about having both Neville and Luna under the same roof since she wasn't interested in becoming a great grandmother anytime soon. She knew that she could trust Neville to treat Luna with respect and besides he is now more interested in helping his parents to become better than any romantic interests. Of course they would be leaving shortly anyhow for the Swiss Alps and she would let both Xeno and his daughter stay in the house until their home can be rebuilt for them. Her brother was also at her house waiting on word about Alice's condition since he had heard about her surgery. Algie didn't feel too comfortable spending all day in the muggle hospital so he stayed home, though he will want to go visit with both Alice and Frank now since she survived that muggle doctor cutting her up but it would be worth it if she could come back home again to live with her family. She was too proud to let Neville know that he might have been right to try this muggle treatment on Alice. Frank would be glad if he could live with Alice again and not having to visit her in hospital. She wondered how long it would be before they would be able to return as Aurors since she was sure that they would be allowed to return once they had gotten back to full health. For now, she had to wait until they were ready to leave the muggle hospital to go to a wizarding convalescence center. She couldn't wait to return to the hospital to see how Alice was recovering, since it seemed that her son's recovery was going slowly, though she had waited seventeen years for their recovery she didn't care how long it took. She knew that Alice would probably sleep until the next day, she was concerned if she would even remember the past seventeen years or if she would need to be caught up with everything that went on during that time. She wondered when she will tell her about Francis's death and that Neville is now eighteen years old plus their old mentor Alastor Moody had died about the eccentricities of his that had occurred after the killing of his family and finding Francis dead after Neville had turned up at their safe house severely injured. She had decided to wait to tell her when she was better unless she asked for her babies in hospital when she had gotten better and could express her wishes, which is something that Augusta had thought that she would never see. She had always thought that Frank and Alice would die in St. Mungo's having giving up all hope that they would even get better years ago though she felt that she did a good job of hiding it from Neville and the rest of the staff at St. Mungo's. She knew that Neville had already accepted the fact that his parents wouldn't get better but he was willing to explore other treatments and now his willingness was going to be rewarded though it would be a long time before her son would get back to normal. She thinks that Alice would get back to normal quicker even though magical means weren't used in order for her to get better. She was ashamed to admit to Neville that this muggle doctor had given her hope in her about her both Frank's and Alice's recovery while the wizarding Healers had written them off years ago,though there was one who did try to help them but he was reassigned in the summer after Neville's fourth year to another ward. One thing that she could say about the muggle Healers is that they were able to give her hope after so long ago giving up on a miracle. She had already made plans to go with Neville to the muggle hospital in the morning and stay until their visiting hours were over unless Alice had to go to muggle physical and occupational therapy too though from her understanding that she was going to be allowed to rest for a few days in order to regain her strength and to determine how much of her mind was recovered during the operation. She was reassured that Alice would look better with time other than the pale look that she had when she had left the muggle surgery. The downside of the entire thing is that now the fact that the Longbottoms had to resort to muggle treatment would probably be splashed across the _Daily Prophet _tomorrow instead of letting their private business remain private. Most of her friends would sympathize with her since they had children of their own and would do the same thing if it was their own child. She was going to do whatever it took her to do in order to keep the press away from Alice except for Xeno since his Luna was friends with her Neville. He did go through the same worry and concern that she did seventeen years ago when they were going home from school for Christmas break this year when she was kidnapped. She empathized with him and she had to remind Neville that she knew that the waiting was the hardest part in hearing about a missing loved one. She saw the relief in his face after Luna had returned and she didn't appear to be damaged in any way though there are some scars that can't be seen but can linger on. She wondered if Alice and Frank would be able to remember any of their ordeal and how they would deal with it. Though the Swiss clinic that they were going to would also sponsor mind healing sessions with them in order to fully integrate them back into wizarding society.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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The next morning both Augusta and Neville as well as Algie couldn't wait to go to the hospital to see the progress that Alice was making since her surgery. Augusta wasn't too surprised to see that they had made the _Daily Prophet_ with the editor thinking that they had insulted St. Mungo's by going outside the wizarding community for treatment. The muggle Healers were the only ones who had given her hope in seventeen years about Frank's and Alice's condition while the wizarding Healers had written them off years ago as being incurable. If St. Mungo's had a treatment for Frank and Alice that would give them back to her then she would seek that treatment but they didn't so she went to muggle Healers and her grandson was the one who had approved for Alice's treatment she didn't though she was proud of him for being willing to provide the best care for his parents. When they had arrived at the muggle hospital as soon as the visiting hours began Alice was more alert than she had been the previous day though she wasn't verbal yet. Algie came in along with his wife Enid to see both Alice and Frank though Frank was in therapy at the time. With Alice he talked to her about the books that he had read during the past year and about his time abroad as a visiting professor at Salem Academy for Witches wondering if she could understand him for the first time in years. He had even shown her pictures of the school and of the area to let her know what America was like since she had almost taken the twins there after they were born since their lives were in danger. Alice liked hearing about Algie's time in America though he hadn't told her anything about her babies, she wondered if they had been killed. She wondered who the nice young man who was with both him and Augusta since he did seem to be familiar to her so maybe he was a distant cousin. It was nice for him to be with her though she didn't think that he looked like any of her relatives but he did look like he could be related to her. Augusta somehow seemed to look older, she wondered if worrying about her well being had aged her so. Uncle Algie somehow seemed to be older as well. She could only hope that she would be able to hold her babies in her arms again. She wondered how long she was going to be stuck here in hospital since she wanted to make those who had put her in there pay for what they have done. She couldn't wait to go back to work though it looked like it would take a while for Frank to return to duty since the few times that she did see him he was in a wheeled chair of some kind unable to walk. She was curious though why they had to stay in a muggle hospital and they couldn't be transferred to St. Mungo's. She never heard of a wizard having to stay in a muggle hospital unless no one knew who they were, usually if they did wind up in a muggle hospital because they were found by a muggle they were immediately transferred to St. Mungo's when their identity was discovered. She didn't worry about that now since she had her mother in law coming to visit her and she might get a visit from her babies today maybe that nice young man with her mother in law might bring them in to her. Her parents may even visit her today since they may not know that she was in a muggle hospital today though Augusta would let them know where she was. For some reason she liked the nice young man that had accompanied Augusta and Algie to the hospital though she wasn't sure of his relationship with them in spite of the fact that he somehow looked familiar to her. She still thought that he was a distant cousin of some kind that her parents sent in order to check up on her since they were unable to visit her in hospital for some reason or another. She wanted to rest like she knew that she probably should since she was recuperating from some injury that she didn't even remember but she wanted to visit with her mother in law hoping that she would be able to update her on the details of her injury and let her know how long she was even in a muggle hospital. She also wondered where Frank was going to these past couple of mornings and then returning back to the ward but he never acknowledged her presence. She only hoped that he hadn't lost his mind where he would have forgotten that he was even married let alone be the father of two sons. She couldn't know if she could stand it if her Frank could not even remember her or their life together. However she was glad to see Augusta and Algie coming to visit her with that nice young man, they gave her hope that she would leave this place soon though she didn't know if Frank was going to leave with her or not.

When Augusta, Algie and Neville entered the ward where Alice and Frank were staying and noticed that Alice looked better than she did the previous day even though her head was still bandaged and they still weren't sure if she even knew who they were. They were able to see Frank go off to therapy when they arrived which he seemed to be more alert even if he wasn't able to speak with them yet. Now, he was able to stand from his wheelchair for a long period of time and feed himself. Hopefully, he will be able to talk with them soon instead of still looking at them as if trying to figure out who they were, especially Neville. When they visited with her, Alice seemed to be more alert though she wasn't able to communicate with them. Neville only hoped that she would be able to make a full recovery from her injuries as well as his father though he was making process with his rehab only slowly. Neville knew that muggle medicine can take a while before he would see any results in his mum's condition but he couldn't wait to have his mother be able to recognize her own son and to let him know that she had loved him. He knew that his grandmother would like to have his own father back and will be willing to wait for him to come back since they have waited a long time for this moment. He only wished that their recovery would go faster so that he can update everything that has gone on in his life and in the wizarding world over the past year. He wondered if his mother would even remember the things about his life growing up that his grandmother had told her or if she even know that he had visited her in hospital. He knew that his father wouldn't know any of that stuff since he was in a coma the entire time and his mother was conscious at least. He did notice that the bandages on his mum's head reminded him of the ordeal that she had gone through being cut up by a muggle doctor he only hoped that she would regain her memory where she would remember him and be able to move back him with her family. He doubted that he would return to Hogwarts this year so that he could have a good seventh year since he felt that he didn't learn enough in the last year to graduate since he wanted to spend more time with his parents while they recover. He didn't let his Gran know about his plans but he was sure that she would understand.

He saw his father go off to therapy and then he pulled himself up to his mum's bed in order to speak to her, hoping that she would be able to recognize him finally even after he was told that it could take a while for his own mother to recognize him. When he did see her he thought that he could see her trying to place who he was. "Hi mum," he greeted his mother not sure of what to tell her or if she even knew who he was or where she was at. Alice had looked at him confused as if she didn't even know who he was. He couldn't tell though if she even knew that she did have a son and thought that he was younger or if she just didn't even know who anyone else was. He was disappointed he thought that his mum's recovery would be instant that once the operation was over that she would recognize him as her son. He however could be patient with his mum to see if she could make a full recovery since he had already waited seventeen years for this he could wait a few weeks or even months more. He only wished that this muggle operation was tried when he was younger so that he would have a chance to have his mum with him instead of living with his overbearing and overprotective grandmother. He was careful not to mention anything about the wizarding world to his mum, though he was concerned that she might say something without being fully aware where she was. He also wanted to put off telling her about the second war, since he didn't want to upset her, since he felt that she still wasn't ready to hear about the war at this time. He did feel like he could talk about other "safer" subjects such as the weather and about his grandmother. While he chatted with his mother he saw that she was looking at him as if she understood even though she may not know any of the people or anything about the subjects that he was talking about with her but she seemed to be interested. He could only hope that now his mum would make a full recovery and be able to carry a conversation with him very soon. He didn't want to have his mum to go back to St. Mungo's to live after all that he has done for her. After only a couple of hours his mother was worn out from their visit and she was so excited that she didn't want to take a nap. After she was reassured that they would still be there when she had woken up she had finally drifted off. Neville wasn't too sure however if she would even be aware of them being in the ward if they were there when she did wake up or if she would remember what had put her in hospital in the first place. He was warned that she may not ever remember her time at St. Mungo's since her mind was not right at that time. Of course you never can tell with these type of injuries, he and his grandmother was told for years that there was no hope for neither his mother nor father to lead normal lives but here they are in a muggle hospital seeking treatment so that they can lead a normal life. Right now he could only hope that both of his parents would be able to get back to normal after living at St. Mungo's for so long. He did see the progress that his father was making but he was frustrated on how slow the progress was. He didn't see too much of a change in his mother but maybe her recovery will take a while as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter.

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Alice was tired after visiting with her mother in law, her brother and her escort for a while she was tired besides she didn't feel like visiting with Augusta much longer who she seemed tried to avoid the subject of her babies. She was worried that somehow both of her children were killed and no one wanted to tell her the truth about them. She knew that both of their lives were in danger because of some prophecy but that the danger was over after Harry turned out to be the Chosen One. Alice was amused at the irony that the son of a trust fund baby who lived of mummy's and daddy's money was the one marked by Voldemort instead of either one of the children of two famous Aurors. At least her family was safe as far as she knew, though she could not remember why her and Frank were in hospital. They must have gotten injured at work since she didn't know why anyone would want to hurt her family now. She fell asleep while trying to figure out how she had wound up in hospital.

A few minutes later she remembered the twins first birthday that was celebrated a few months ago which was bittersweet since none of their friends could come since they were concerned about the twin's well being at the time. All of their lives were in danger at the time because of her babies' birthday and hers and Frank's jobs. She saw that the twins still had fun even though none of their playmates could come and she was disappointed that they couldn't even go to Harry's party since it would make them an easier target to have all three of them in the same room together, since all of them could be a threat to Voldemort's power. She did stand up however in refusing to separate Neville and Francis in order to keep them safer. She knew that the two of them would miss each other if separated since they could not stand to be away from each other for even a few minutes. She remembered the argument that she had with her mother in law about sending the boys away.

"Augusta, there is no way that I can send my sons off to Canada to stay with your brother and his wife. I think that they need to stay here with us since we can protect them here."

"I know that you and Frank do not want to be separated from your babies but since you want to stay here and continue fighting even though you need to keep your babies safe since they are both targeted by Voldemort and I do not think that the son of a trust fund baby would be his primary target."

"I don't care but both Neville and Francis need to be with us and we are not backing down from this fight just because we have children now."

"There are others who don't have children who are still fighting and besides I am worried about what would happen to you if anything should ever happen to your family. Remember what happened to Alaster when his wife and children were killed in Diagon Alley and they weren't special targets of Voldemort's like Neville and Francis are."

Alice had rolled her eyes at her last remark remembering how Alaster used to be dedicated to his family until their untimely deaths and then he had sworn that he would make sure every last Death Eater would come to justice in order to pay for his family's death. She didn't want to turn out to be like him who is bent on revenge if she did lose a loved one. She wanted justice to be brought to anyone who had harmed her family but she didn't want it to become an obsession. She was concerned for her family's safety but she felt that her and Frank were doing everything to keep their babies safe without sending them away. She also knew that Lily and James weren't sending Harry away in order to keep him safe since his life was in danger as well. She was well aware of the risks that they faced and they were willing to face them. They even made plans for the twin's care in case something should happen to him, where Frank's mother would care for them. Augusta had already agreed to the arrangement but she still had some reservations since she lived alone and Alice's widowed father traveled extensively in his retirement which taking care of two very active boys would interfere with his travels though he was also active in the boy's lives. Besides the twins were already used to Augusta as a babysitter since she watched them when both of them were either at work or on Order business. She didn't know about their involvement in the Order for both her and their protection. If she should ever be questioned about their Order involvement, Augusta can honestly tell them that she doesn't know anything about it. The only thing that Augusta knew was that her and Frank were involved in a club that met between their work hours and that there were other young parents in the group too. Though only the Potters and Alaster were the only parents of young children in the group, through the Prewett twins she was able to get good information on raising twins from their sister since she had a set of twins two years older than theirs. The boys were a handful since the two of them loved to explore and get into anything. They even tried to open up their own presents for their birthday party. They even tried to eat their own birthday cake with their own hands before it was even cut. They were caught before they could do any harm to the cake and having to be bathed again for making a mess. It was good though that they had made friends with Harry and even Ron since they needed to know how to get along with other children once they had started school. Molly even watched them a few times when Augusta was unable to watch them due to her plans though it worked out for the best since Molly earned a few extra galleons for watching other children which helped her pay for the school things of the older children. Besides their house was their safe house since no one would suspect the family of a lowly clerical worker being actively involved in the fight against Voldemort. It was joked though that they could dye both Francis's and Neville's hair red and they would easily blend in with their family since they had a lot of children. They didn't want to do that however since they didn't want to miss any of the milestones in their babies' lives and they would only be young once and there wouldn't be another chance for them to witness their growing up. No one knew how much longer the twin's lives would be in danger anyway so it wouldn't be like they would be going to visit their great uncle and his wife for a couple of weeks. The wait could only be a few weeks or even years and it may never happen since prophecies only had a fifty percent of coming true and she didn't want for her sons to live in hiding for the rest of their lives. She wanted them to live normal lives without looking over their shoulders at every small noise. Besides there were plenty of wards set up around their house in order to protect them and Frank had taught his mother to defend herself and the babies whenever she had them.

A few minutes later she had woken up from her nap still wondering what had happened to her in order to land her in hospital and curious about the memory that she had just had. She was still curious as to why she would still be in a muggle hospital but she figured that there must be a good reason for it. She would wait to see if Augusta would say anything about the hospital first, besides it was more important to her that her babies would be reassured that she was fine though she wasn't too sure about Frank though at least he was alive. He looked to be in bad shape though, she didn't know if he would be able to live on his own or not. She was concerned that no one had told her about her children yet, though they were probably too young to visit her in hospital unless it was serious. Since she hadn't been visited by her babies yet she figured that she wasn't dying. A few hours later when Augusta had shown back up with the young man that she was with, she hoped that she would be able to give her some answers. She was disappointed when she wasn't reassured that her babies were fine though if there was something wrong that she would be told about it. She opened up her mouth in order to ask about them surprised at first at the hoarseness of her voice.

She had gotten over the surprise when she asked Augusta, "Are my babies okay?"

Both Augusta and the young man with her looked surprised at her question and reflective as they were about to tell her bad news about her children.

Augusta wasn't too surprised by the question and was prepared on how to answer her.

"I don't know how to tell you this but you were hurt over sixteen years ago and you were living with Frank in the long term care ward of St. Mungo's for that time. This young man with me is Neville though when you and Frank were hurt Francis was killed. He's now buried with my husband and I can take you to go see him once you are better,"

Alice looked at her news in disbelief, this young man with Augusta couldn't be her child and Francis wasn't dead. They were only a little over a year old besides they were safe now since it turned out that the Potter child was the chosen one. She wasn't going to believe that she had missed out on most of her son's life and missed that she had lost her other son until she had proof of it.


End file.
